Bovine Tuberculosis

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to respond to the Fourth Report of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Session 2007-08, HC 130-I, on badgers and cattle TB; and what the reasons are for the time taken to respond.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 11 June 2008
	We have no date for a response to the Committee's Report at this time. There is a great deal of complex evidence to consider in relation to bovine TB and badger culling and we have been determined to get the views of all the interested parties over recent months. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) explained in his letter to the Chair of the EFRA Committee on 28 April, it will take time to produce a response that deals thoroughly with the Committee's recommendations. The matter is receiving our full attention.

Meat: Smuggling

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to find alternative sources of funding for the provision of border controls designed to stop the importation of illegal meat following the reduction of his Department's funding.

Jonathan R Shaw: Anti-smuggling controls on all products of animal origin at the Great Britain border except at border inspection posts are operated by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and resourced directly from their budgets. The reduction in DEFRA's funding will not impact on this.
	Funding continues to be available for DEFRA to help increase public awareness of the rules and regulations that are in place to restrict personal food imports.
	The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland (DARDNI) retains responsibility for anti-smuggling controls in Northern Ireland.
	All commercial imports of meat from outside the EU must be checked on entry to ensure that they comply with the import requirements. The costs of these checks must recovered from the importer under EU law. If a consignment does not comply with the EU rules, it must be re-exported or destroyed and additional costs incurred during this process are also recovered from the importer.

Transport: Disabled

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the baseline number of  (a) trains and  (b) buses accessible to people with disabilities is against which the 2008 to 2011 public service agreement 15 will be monitored; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 June 2008
	At 1 January 2008, the number of rail vehicles compliant with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations was 4,700 (which is 31 per cent. of all rail vehicles) including approx 4,600 heavy rail trains (42 per cent. of that group). The Department for Transport records the number of accessible rail vehicles as they enter service.
	Data on the number of accessible buses is collected for the annual Public Transport Statistics Bulletin for Great Britain. There was an increase in the percentage of low floor buses up from 50 per cent. in 2005-06 to 58 per cent. in 2006-07. We have met the voluntary target agreed with the bus industry which is that 50 per cent. of buses should be low floor by 2010. All full size buses must comply with the Public Vehicle Accessibility Regulations, which include a requirement for low floor, wheelchair accessible buses, by 2017.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of  (a) CRVT,  (b) Saxon,  (c) Warrior and  (d) Challenger vehicles are (i) in service, (ii) fit for purpose and (iii) out of service.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   In service (total fleet)  Fit for purpose (currently available)  Out of service (not available) (percentage) 
			 CVR(T) 1,196 58 42 
			 Saxon 147 97 3 
			 Warrior 793 74 26 
			 Challenger 345 95 5 
		
	
	'In service' has been defined as the total number in the vehicle fleet. 'Fit for purpose' has been defined as those that are available for use. This includes vehicles awaiting minor repairs and those currently in transit to operational theatres. 'Out of service' has been defined as those vehicles within the total fleet that are currently unavailable, including vehicles undergoing major repair, planned re-fit or awaiting a decision on disposal. This category includes vehicles destroyed on operations.

Warships: Guided Weapons

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operational purposes of the Royal Navy's Sea Dart missiles are.

Bob Ainsworth: Sea Dart is a medium range air defence missile. The principal operational purpose of missile is to engage and destroy attacking enemy aircraft or missiles. The secondary operational purpose is to engage and destroy enemy ships.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of hospital admissions related to  (a) dentistry and  (b) dental problems in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: The number of hospital admissions where a dental consultant was responsible for the patient is set out in the following table. It is not possible categorise the data by 'dental problems' as requested.
	A person may be admitted to hospital more than once so the following data does not represent a count of patients.
	
		
			  Hospital admissions where a dental( 1)  consultant was responsible for the patient—national health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS , t otal admissions 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			   Number 
			 2006-07 238,967 
			 2005-06 234,186 
			 2004-05 211,701 
			 2003-04 210,104 
			 2002-03 209,803 
			 2001-02 203,521 
			 2000-01 205,708 
			 1999-2000 212,417 
			 1998-99 215,316 
			 1997-98 200,519 
			 (1) The main specialties used to define 'dental consultants' in the data above are oral surgery, restorative dentistry, paediatric dentistry, orthodontics and oral and maxillo facial surgery.   Notes: 1. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  2.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  3.  Data Quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data is also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  4.  Finished admission episodes (FAEs) A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  5.  Consultant main specialty This defines the specialty under which the consultant responsible is contracted. Care is needed when analysing HES data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as acute). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other recorded information.   Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Dental Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many dentists are employed full-time by the NHS, broken down by strategic health authority;
	(2)  how many dentists are employed full-time by the NHS in  (a) Eastbourne constituency,  (b) East Sussex and (c) England;
	(3)  how many dentists were employed full-time by the NHS in each of the last 10 years;
	(4)  how many dentists are listed on the primary care NHS list for  (a) Eastbourne,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) England.

Ann Keen: The number of dentists on open national health service contracts in England as at 30 June 2006, 30 September 2006, 31 December 2006, and 31 March 2007 are available in Table E1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07" report. This information is provided by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT). This information is based on the new contractual arrangements which were introduced on 1 April 2006. The information is shown by type of contract held. Dentists are employed on three types of contract: general dental services (GDS), personal dental services (PDS) and trust led dental services (TDS). Dentists can hold more than one contract and more than one type of contract at the same time. Those on TDS contracts are employed directly by the NHS.
	This Report, published by the Information Centre for health and social care, on 23 August 2007, is available in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	The number of NHS dentists, in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in Annex E of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006" report. The information is provided by SHA and by PCT. This information is based on the old contractual arrangements that were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This information covered GDS and PDS dentists only.
	This Report, published by the Information Centre for health and social care, on 23 August 2006, is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	The numbers quoted are headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	The methodology for counting and reporting the NHS dental work force is currently under review. The review, led by analysts at the Information Centre for health and social care and the Statistical Directorate of the Welsh Assembly Government, working in liaison with the Dental Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority, aims to ensure that following the first year of the new dental contractual arrangements, the figures provide an appropriate measure of the work force.
	The work force data provided in the 2006-07 report will therefore remain the latest available until this review is complete. The review is currently at consultation stage which is due to end on 11 July 2008.
	The intention is to publish work force data in the "NHS Dental Statistics for England, 2007-08" report, due to be published in August 2008.
	The Information Centre is also due to publish the report "Dental Working Hours 2006-07" and 2007-08 in August 2008. This Report should contain some analysis of the full-time equivalent work force and NHS commitment at SHA level.

Dental Services: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of dental activity were claimed by dentists in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) England in each quarter since the introduction of the new dental contract.

Ann Keen: Units of dental activity (UDAs) delivered are reported by dentists to the Dental Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority. Information on the number of UDAs delivered is available in the following reports for England, and by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT). Hemel Hempstead is in West Hertfordshire PCT. This information could be provided by constituency only at disproportionate cost.
	Information for the first and second quarter of 2007-08 is available in Tables B1 and B2 of Annex 4 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: Quarter 3, 31 December 2007" report. This report, published on 5 June 2008, is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0708q3
	Information for the third quarter of 2007-08 is available in Table B1 of Annex 3 of the Report.
	Information for 2006-07 is available in Table B1 of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07" report. This shows the total number of UDAs for the year.
	This Report, published, on 23 August 2007, is available in the Library and is also available at:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607
	Due to an improvement in the methodology used for the first time in the full year activity data in the Report, quarterly activity data for 2006-07, based on the old methodology, is not comparable.
	Activity is now measured as the number of courses of treatment (UDAs are allocated to a course of treatment) which end within any given quarter of the year. Previously, it had been measured as the number of activity report forms processed by the Dental Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority within that quarter, of which some forms may have related to courses of treatment carried out in earlier quarters.
	All the Reports have been published by the Information Centre for health and social care.

Fluoride

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to monitor the effects on health of ingestion of fluoride;
	(2)  has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relative prevalence of thyroid disease in fluoridated areas.

Ann Keen: Under section 90A of the Water Industry Act 1991, strategic health authorities (SHAs) are required to monitor the effects of fluoridation schemes on the health of persons living in the fluoridated area and publish reports containing an analysis of the effects on health at four-yearly intervals. The West Midland Public Health Observatory is leading on the compilation of a set of standard indicators which can be used by SHAs in fulfilling this responsibility. This approach would use information on concentrations of fluoride in drinking water and intakes from dietary studies to estimate ingestion of fluoride. We understand that in compiling proposals the observatory is considering whether thyroid disease could be monitored using such routine data sources.
	A review "Water fluoridation and health" undertaken by the Medical Research Council of the need for research on the effects of fluoridation and published in 2002 ascribed a low priority to further research on thyroid disorders. We will consider the need for further research on thyroid disorders in the light of any recommendations which may be made by the observatory.

Maternity Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what neo-natal units there are in each health authority area.

Ann Keen: There are 109 neonatal units in England. A detailed list has been placed in the Library.

Maternity Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many children were admitted to neo-natal units in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) age of the child and  (b) health authority;
	(2)  how many children admitted to neo-natal units died within  (a) 24 hours,  (b) two days,  (c) three days and  (d) seven days in each of the last five years; and how many survived and were discharged.

Ann Keen: The information is not collected centrally.

Paediatrics

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) training and  (b) consultancy posts were established in each of the last five years for paediatrics.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally, however the numbers of doctors in training and consultants in paediatrics for each of the last five years is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Hospital and community health services: medical and dental staff within each specified paediatric specialty: England as 30 September each year 
			Number (headcount) 
			All staff  Consultant  Associate specialist  Staff group  Registrar group 
			 1997 Total 4,636 1,321 64 283 986 
			  Paediatric cardiology 39 16 — — 13 
			  Paediatric dentistry 65 20 2 1 18 
			  Paediatric surgery 227 74 1 2 55 
			  Paediatrics 4,305 1,211 61 280 900 
			
			 1998 Total 4,879 1,408 79 342 1,090 
			  Paediatric cardiology 55 17 — — 21 
			  Paediatric dentistry 69 23 1 2 18 
			  Paediatric surgery 268 86 2 5 56 
			  Paediatrics 4,487 1,282 76 335 995 
			
			 1999 Total 5,063 1,474 96 372 1,180 
			  Paediatric cardiology 52 18 — 2 21 
			  Paediatric dentistry 74 21 1 3 22 
			  Paediatric surgery 239 98 1 5 55 
			  Paediatrics 4,698 1,337 94 362 1,082 
			
			 2000 Total 5,377 1,570 104 472 1,229 
			  Paediatric cardiology 51 23 — — 19 
			  Paediatric dentistry 73 23 2 5 20 
			  Paediatric surgery 277 104 2 7 63 
			  Paediatrics 4,976 1,420 100 460 1,127 
			
			 2001 Total 5,476 1,643 109 507 1,194 
			  Paediatric cardiology 68 29 — — 18 
			  Paediatric dentistry 64 22 1 3 18 
			  Paediatric surgery 285 114 1 9 69 
			  Paediatrics 5,059 1,478 107 495 1,089 
			
			 2002 Total 5,976 1,822 134 556 1,259 
			  Paediatric cardiology 115 64 — — 31 
			  Paediatric dentistry 66 22 2 3 12 
			  Paediatric surgery 302 105 5 7 81 
			  Paediatrics 5,493 1,631 127 546 1,135 
			
			 2003 Total 6,291 1,937 165 579 1,308 
			  Paediatric cardiology 110 69 — — 21 
			  Paediatric dentistry 70 30 1 1 14 
			  Paediatric surgery 261 100 3 3 68 
			  Paediatrics 5,850 1,738 161 575 1,205 
			
			 2004 Total 6,847 2,040 211 584 1,609 
			  Paediatric cardiology 108 63 — — 23 
			  Paediatric dentistry 78 30 3 2 24 
			  Paediatric surgery 325 108 4 7 100 
			  Paediatrics 6,336 1,839 204 575 1,462 
			
			 2005 Total 7,178 2,168 258 551 1,739 
			  Paediatric cardiology 90 48 1 — 18 
			  Paediatric dentistry 74 29 2 3 23 
			  Paediatric surgery 334 106 4 9 99 
			  Paediatrics 6,680 1,985 251 539 1,599 
			
			 2006 Total 7,424 2, 289 291 538 1,849 
			  Paediatric cardiology 124 63 — — 36 
			  Paediatric dentistry 81 31 3 3 18 
			  Paediatric surgery 304 104 1 5 95 
			  Paediatrics 6,915 2, 091 287 530 1,700 
			
			 2007 Total 7,384 2, 331 282 488 3,263 
			  Paediatric cardiology 93 42 — — 46 
			  Paediatric dentistry 77 29 2 2 21 
			  Paediatric surgery 279 104 7 5 128 
			  Paediatrics 6,935 2,156 273 481 3,068 
		
	
	
		
			Senior House Officer  Foundation Year  House officer and foundation year 1  Hospital practitioner/clinical assistant  Other staff 
			 1997 Total 1,815 — 24 140 3 
			  Paediatric cardiology 9 — 1 —  
			  Paediatric dentistry 6 — 4 13 1 
			  Paediatric surgery 92 — 2 1 — 
			  Paediatrics 1,708 — 18 125 2 
			
			 1998 Total 1,793 — 33 133 1 
			  Paediatric cardiology 17 — — — — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 6 — — 18 1 
			  Paediatric surgery 109 — 7 3 — 
			  Paediatrics 1,661 — 26 112 — 
			
			 1999 Total 1,780 — 42 119 — 
			  Paediatric cardiology 10 — — 1 — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 6 — 2 19 — 
			  Paediatric surgery 75 — 4 1 — 
			  Paediatrics 1,689 — 36 98 — 
			
			 2000 Total 1,847 — 46 109 — 
			  Paediatric cardiology 8 — — 1 — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 3 — — 20 — 
			  Paediatric surgery 97 — 3 1 — 
			  Paediatrics 1,739 — 43 87 — 
			
			 2001 Total 1,818 — 46 102 57 
			  Paediatric cardiology 19 — 2 — — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 5 — 1 14 — 
			  Paediatric surgery 86 — 4 2 — 
			  Paediatrics 1,708 — 39 86 57 
			
			 2002 Total 1, ,932 — 61 106 106 
			  Paediatric cardiology 20 — — — — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 4 — 3 20 — 
			  Paediatric surgery 96 — 7 1 — 
			  Paediatrics 1, ,812 — 51 85 106 
			
			 2003 Total 2, ,052 — 73 88 89 
			  Paediatric cardiology 20 — — — — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 8 — — 16 — 
			  Paediatric surgery 81 — 4 2 — 
			  Paediatrics 1,943 — 69 70 89 
			
			 2004 Total 2,193 — 80 71 59 
			  Paediatric cardiology 22 — — — — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 9 — — 10 — 
			  Paediatric surgery 101 — 4 1 — 
			  Paediatrics 2, ,061 — 76 60 59 
			
			 2005 Total 2,133 103 125 63 38 
			  Paediatric cardiology 22 1 — — — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 6 — — 10 1 
			  Paediatric surgery 99 6 10 1 — 
			  Paediatrics 2,006 96 115 52 37 
			
			 2006 Total 2,022 214 137 62 22 
			  Paediatric cardiology 25 — — — — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 6 — — 15 5 
			  Paediatric surgery 81 10 8 — — 
			  Paediatrics 1,910 204 129 47 17 
			
			 2007 Total 527 269 150 54 20 
			  Paediatric cardiology 5 — — — — 
			  Paediatric dentistry 9 — — 8 6 
			  Paediatric surgery 15 14 6 — — 
			  Paediatrics 498 255 144 46 14

Patients: Attendance

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital appointments were missed in each primary care trust in the last year for which information is available; what the average cost of a missed hospital appointment was in that year; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of missed hospital appointments in each primary care trust for 2007-08 is shown in the table.
	The Department has not made an estimate of the cost of such missed appointments. Through the introduction of choice and choose and book, patients can now choose the place, time and date of their hospital appointment which will help to reduce the number of missed appointments in national health service hospitals.
	
		
			  Missed hospital appointments, all specialties, by primary care trust, England, 2007-08 commissioner based 
			  PCT name  1( st)  and subsequent out-patient appointments did not attend (DNA)  In-patient failed to attend  Total missed appointments 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 45,245 1,290 46,535 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 26,524 379 26,903 
			 Barnet PCT 51,197 1,084 52,281 
			 Barnsley PCT 38,503 1,092 39,595 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 11,604 100 11,704 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 10,132 612 10,744 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 20,145 625 20,770 
			 Berkshire East PCT 63,354 368 63,722 
			 Berkshire West PCT 30,551 498 31,049 
			 Bexley Care Trust 19,463 300 19,763 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 62,783 1,302 64,085 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 17,387 370 17,757 
			 Blackpool PCT 19,896 178 20,074 
			 Bolton PCT 31,725 641 32,366 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 20,226 283 20,509 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 54,842 252 55,094 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 46,025 1,037 47,062 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 23,129 160 23,289 
			 Bristol PCT 44,238 809 45,047 
			 Bromley PCT 34,282 331 34,613 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 29,441 1,059 30,500 
			 Bury PCT 26,213 444 26,657 
			 Calderdale PCT 24,192 314 24,506 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 34,010 451 34,461 
			 Camden PCT 42,408 819 43,227 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 34,329 560 34,889 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 55,407 684 56,091 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 42,455 723 43,178 
			 Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly PCT 33,316 585 33,901 
			 County Durham PCT 46,326 1,347 47,673 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 36,506 797 37,303 
			 Croydon PCT 39,538 1,121 40,659 
			 Cumbria Teaching PCT 32,339 894 33,233 
			 Darlington PCT 10,558 130 10,688 
			 Derby City PCT 25,773 848 26,621 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 52,860 1,342 54,202 
			 Devon PCT 44,451 1,265 45,716 
			 Doncaster PCT 26,137 390 26,527 
			 Dorset PCT 23,961 419 24,380 
			 Dudley PCT 39,989 599 40,588 
			 Ealing PCT 153,768 1,054 154,822 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 6,543 517 7,060 
			 East Lancashire Teaching PCT 46,014 660 46,674 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 20,374 460 20,834 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 26,854 721 27,575 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 64,130 447 64,577 
			 Enfield PCT 38,931 467 39,398 
			 Gateshead PCT 23,612 537 24,149 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 36,714 175 36,889 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 18,327 422 18,749 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 31,778 738 32,516 
			 Halton and St. Helens PCT 38,773 1,040 39,813 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 32,235 145 32,380 
			 Hampshire PCT 119,154 1,335 120,489 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 45,630 1,172 46,802 
			 Harrow PCT 14,765 580 15,345 
			 Hartlepool PCT 9,261 272 9,533 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 15,440 385 15,825 
			 Havering PCT 28,414 317 28,731 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 53,673 801 54,474 
			 Herefordshire PCT 13,569 37 13,606 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 33,513 625 . 34,138 
			 Hillingdon PCT 23,955 811 24,766 
			 Hounslow PCT 5,741 543 6,284 
			 Hull Teaching PCT 29,124 461 29,585 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 10,624 116 10,740 
			 Islington PCT 37,095 1,407 38,502 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 25,123 202 25,325 
			 Kingston PCT 24,572 126 24,698 
			 Kirklees PCT 43,934 676 44,610 
			 Knowsley PCT 29,910 656 30,566 
			 Lambeth PCT 68,607 1,279 69,886 
			 Leeds PCT 79,718 765 80,483 
			 Leicester City PCT 38,481 321 38,802 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 46,316 994 47,310 
			 Lewisham PCT 62,856 853 63,709 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 49,211 1,066 50,277 
			 Liverpool PCT 94,498 899 95,397 
			 Luton PCT 21,838 400 22,238 
			 Manchester PCT 113,948 2,509 116,457 
			 Medway PCT 24,863 203 25,066 
			 Mid Essex PCT 31,021 233 31,254 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 14,597 326 14,923 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 16,933 151 17,084 
			 Newcastle PCT 39,868 1,316 41,184 
			 Newham PCT 41,273 602 41,875 
			 Norfolk PCT 40,029 713 40,742 
			 North East Essex PCT 19,854 236 20,090 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 14,687 483 15,170 
			 North Lancashire Teaching PCT 29,640 506 30,146 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 13,048 642 13,690 
			 North Somerset PCT 16,962 239 17,201 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 10,525 35 10,560 
			 North Tees Teaching PCT 15,931 554 16,485 
			 North Tyneside PCT 27,777 647 28,424 
			 North Yorkshire And York PCT 39,428 547 39,975 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 38,862 1,379 40,241 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 30,496 792 31,288 
			 Nottingham City PCT 31,749 546 32,295 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 56,929 1,150 58,079 
			 Oldham PCT 31,119 707 31,826 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 40,620 824 41,444 
			 Peterborough PCT 12,084 291 12,375 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 17,624 500 18,124 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 1.7,853 447 18,300 
			 Redbridge PCT 31,271 1,035 32,306 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 9,338 191 9,529 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 41,668 122 41,790 
			 Rotherham PCT 31,872 1,142 33,014 
			 Salford PCT 38,612 838 39,450 
			 Sandwell PCT 48,274 763 49,037 
			 Sefton PCT 39,295 1,009 40,304 
			 Sheffield PCT 72,054 1,618 73,672 
			 Shropshire County PCT 16,154 245 16,399 
			 Solihull Care Trust 22,580 225 22,805 
			 Somerset PCT 37,992 1,009 39,001 
			 South Birmingham PCT 52,449 763 53,212 
			 South East Essex PCT 35,918 786 36,704 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 16,620 374 16,994 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 49,408 1,544 50,952 
			 South Tyneside PCT 16,162 757 16,919 
			 South West Essex PCT 44,574 385 44,959 
			 Southampton City PCT 21,976 392 22,368 
			 Southwark PCT 64,616 1,014 65,630 
			 Stockport PCT 33,783 563 34,346 
			 Stoke on Trent PCT 19,236 274 19,510 
			 Suffolk PCT 39,965 436 40,401 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 26,373 954 27,327 
			 Surrey PCT 64,711 747 65,458 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 35,912 444 36,356 
			 Swindon PCT 14,311 329 14,640 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 26,409 587 26,996 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 12,387 244 12,631 
			 Torbay Care Trust 8,693 111 8,804 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 46,778 496 47,274 
			 Trafford PCT 33,149 846 33,995 
			 Wakefield District PCT 41,352 683 42,035 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 29,998 377 30,375 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 26,535 250 26,785 
			 Wandsworth PCT 36,329 261 36,590 
			 Warrington PCT 17,075 645 17,720 
			 Warwickshire PCT 45,835 881 46,716 
			 West Essex PCT 26,085 149 26,234 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 9,448 989 10,437 
			 West Kent PCT 58,746 939 59,685 
			 West Sussex PCT 49,679 765 50,444 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 22,666 380 23,046 
			 Westminster PCT 29,949 377 30,326 
			 Wiltshire PCT 25,324 324 25,648 
			 Wirral PCT 32,644 844 33,488 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 35,040 443 35,483 
			 Worcestershire PCT 46,797 910 47,707 
			  Notes: 1. On 1 October 2007 North Lincolnshire PCT became North Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus. Data for North Lincolnshire PCT has been reported as North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus in the table. 2. An estimate has been used for quarter three for City and Hackney PCT for failed to attends. 3. An estimate has been used for quarter one for Westminster PCT for DNAs. 4. DNA is where a patient did not attend a 1(st) or subsequent out-patient appointment and no advance warning was given, or the patient arrived too late to be seen. 5. Failed to attend is where a patient did not attend hospital when they were due to be admitted for treatment.  Source: Department of Health forms KH067AR, quarterly activity return (OAR)

West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust : Vacancies

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS posts have been vacant for more than three months at  (a) West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust and  (b) South West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested. Information is available on national health service organisations' three month vacancy rates for vacancies that trusts are actively trying to fill that have lasted for three months or more. The latest available information shows the position at 31 March 2007.
	There is no South West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust and so information has been provided for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which is based in the hon. Member's constituency. The following tables show the three-month vacancy rates and vacancy numbers at 31 March 2007 for West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
	
		
			  NHS three month vacancies in West Hertfordshire PCT and West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, all non-medical staff groups and medical and dental staff (excluding doctors in training and equivalents) 
			  Three month vacancy rates and numbers 
			   Medical and dental staff (excluding doctors in training) 
			   Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 0.0 0 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 4.1 9 
		
	
	
		
			  Three month vacancy rates and numbers 
			   All nursing, midwifery and health , of which:  Qualified nursing, midwifery and health  Unqualified nursing, midwifery and health 
			   Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number  Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number  Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 0.1 2 0.2 2 0.0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Three month vacancy rates and numbers 
			   All scientific and therapeutic  Qualified allied health professionals  Qualified  health  care scientists 
			   Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number  Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number  Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 2.7 14 1.3 2 5.1 8 
		
	
	
		
			  Three month vacancy rates and numbers 
			   Other qualified scientific  Unqualified scientific  Other non-medical staff 
			   Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number  Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number  Three month vacancy rate (percentage)  Three month vacancy number 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 3.8 4 0.8 1 0.2 2 
			  Notes: 1. Vacancy data are from the Vacancies Survey 2007. 2. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2007. 3. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full-time equivalents). 4. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post. 5. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the September 2006 Non-Medical Workforce Census and Medical and Dental Workforce Census. 6. Vacancy numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number. 7. percentages are rounded to one decimal place. 8. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Vacancies Survey March 2007

High Court: Judges

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy on monitoring the expenses of High Court judges is; and whether he plans to make provision for such expenses to be made open to public scrutiny.

Jack Straw: Arrangements for claiming expenses are governed by the High Court judges "Memorandum on Conditions of Appointment and Terms of Service". Claims are authorised for payment by Ministry of Justice officials, are subject to appropriate levels of internal and National Audit Office scrutiny and form part of departmental annual reports and accounts which are published annually.

Car Allowances: Voluntary Work

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the rates of approved mileage allowance payments for motorists who are volunteer drivers.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 12 November 2007 and the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) on 28 April 2008.
	HMRC allows volunteers to use the Approved mileage allowance payment (AMAP) rate for convenience, but it is not mandatory and volunteer drivers can claim tax relief for the full cost of motoring by completing a return, if they wish to do so.

Departmental Legal Costs

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: Subject to any necessary adjustments following the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit of the Treasury's resource account, net spending on external legal advice in 2007-08 was £1,331,000.
	For spending in earlier years I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my hon. Friend the former Financial Secretary (John Healey) on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1496W, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) and on 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1738W, to the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies).

New Deal Schemes

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) people,  (b) young people,  (c) lone parents,  (d) people over 25 years old and  (e) people over 50 years old participated in the new deal in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the north-east and (iv) the UK in 2007.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people starting new deals in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside, north-east Jobcentre Plus region and Great Britain in 2007 
			   New deal for young people  New deal 25 plus  New deal for lone parents  New deal 50 plus  All new deals 
			 Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency 450 350 410 40 1,650 
			 South Tyneside local authority area 980 860 900 50 3,400 
			 North East Jobcentre Plus Region 11,950 8,560 11,080 790 40,130 
			   
			 Great Britain 169,840 126,080 206,960 13,230 579,570 
			  Notes: 1. Information on new deal is available for Great Britain, not the UK. 2. Information for South Tyneside is available by local authority area. 3. Information for the north-east is available by Jobcentre Plus region. 4. Information for new-deal as a whole includes, where available, data for new deal for disabled people and new deal for partners. Individual new deal figures may thus not sum to totals. 5. Information is for individuals. If a person has started new deal more than once, only their latest start is included in the table.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate

Pension Protection Fund

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension schemes became ineligible for Pension Protection Fund levies in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 4 February 2008
	I apologise for the delay in replying; the information is not available in the form requested.
	Section 126 of the Pensions Act 2004 and regulations made under it set out the eligibility criteria for pension protection fund levies; in broad terms, occupational pension schemes which are not money purchase schemes or otherwise exempted by legislation are eligible schemes as long as they had not begun to wind up when the PPF opened for business in April 2005.
	In the 2007 update of the Purple Book—defined benefit pensions universe risk profile, published on 18 December 2007, the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) estimates that its eligible defined-benefit (DB) universe was around 7,800 schemes.
	Pension schemes may become ineligible for Pension Protection Fund (PPF) levies for a number of reasons. For example, a scheme would become ineligible if its trustees entered into a compromise with the sponsoring employer to reduce the debt the employer owed the scheme, without the Board of the PPF's agreement. A scheme could also become ineligible if it only had two members and one of those died—as schemes with fewer than two members are not eligible schemes. A scheme would also cease to be an eligible scheme if it completed winding up.
	The Board of the PPF only holds data on the eligible scheme universe; if a scheme is ineligible it will be recorded only with the pensions regulator. Provision of the correct information by schemes is of course essential, and the two organisations work closely together to ensure consistent data. However, if a scheme is invoiced for the pension protection levy and later demonstrates that it was ineligible, the Board will refund any sums paid.
	Between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 a total of 9,084 schemes notified the pensions regulator that the scheme had completed wind-up. Of these, 675 were defined benefit schemes and 139 were hybrid schemes, and the balance (8,270) were defined contribution schemes. 814 of these schemes (the DB and hybrid ones) would until that point have been eligible for PPF levies, providing they had not begun winding up before the PPF opened for business in April 2005.
	Similar information for 2006-07 could not be provided without disproportionate cost. However, improvements in the way scheme data is collected will mean that similar information for 2007-08 and beyond will be available.